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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

HARARE giants Dynamos continued to strengthen their squad at the weekend when they announced the signing of former Bulawayo Chiefs forward Arthur Musiiwa and highly-rated former Zimbabwe youth international Tendai Matindife.

Musiiwa becomes the third player to cross the floor from troubled Bulawayo Chiefs to DeMbare, following in the footsteps of twin defenders Elvis and Kelvin Moyo who put pen to paper last week. The duo, however, are yet to be officially unveiled.

DeMbare, who parted ways with 13 players recently, are also looking to bolster their strikeforce which was one of their major weaknesses last season. Musiiwa and 21-year-old winger, Matindife, are expected to give new coach Herbert Maruwa more options upfront, especially with revelations that the Glamour Boys have since bagged former Manica Diamonds forward Nyasha Chintuli, on loan from Tenax, and Congolese Eli Ilunga.

Chintuli scored nine goals for the Mutare-based side last season while Soccer Star of the Year finalist Illunga had 11 for Black Rhinos.

DeMbare are also in line to bring on board impressive 19-year-old Jayden Barake, who won the PSL Rookie of the Year award after scoring nine goals for relegated Whawha.  

The announcement of the signing of Musiiwa and Matindife at the weekend, came after the Glamour Boys had also announced defender Frank Makarati has agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Makarati’s future had been mired in speculation following the expiry of his deal on December 31. The defender is tipped to take over the captain’s armband in the upcoming season, replacing Partson Jaure who was shown the exit recently.

The defender had been linked with a possible move beyond the borders following an impressive outing with the Glamour Boys, which earned him a second runners-up spot in the Soccer Star of the Year awards, last season. Dynamos are looking to mount a strong challenge for the league title this season and have already started laying the foundation. 

They had lined up a tour of Malawi as part of their pre-season preparations but that trip has now been cancelled. The Glamour Boys had been invited for a pre-season tournament by Malawi champions Nyasa Big Bullets.

However, The Malawi Nation reported that the Football Association of Malawi turned down Bullets’ request to hold the international bonanza because of DeMbare’s inclusion, as the Zimbabwean teams are currently suspended from participating in international football events.

According to Bullets’ application for the licence, they wanted Dynamos, Malawian rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and UD Songo of Mozambique to participate in the four-team mini tournament in March.

However, world football governing body suspended ZIFA from international football in February last year in response to the removal of Felton Kamambo and his members of his executive by the Sports and Recreation Commission on accusations of corruption, maladministration and sexual harassment of female match officials.

FAM were not amused when they gathered that Nyasa Big Bullets had invited Dynamos for the international bonanza slated for March at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, and the club had confirmed their participation.

FAM competitions director Gomezgani Zakazaka confirmed to the Malawi Nation that they received an application for a licence for the tournament which they turned down.

“We cannot grant Bullets the license because of the inclusion of Zimbabwe team Dynamos. The FIFA ban applies to all national teams and local clubs. It even applies to school teams.

“That is why Zimbabwe teams cannot participate in club competitions,” he said.

Bullets chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda also confirmed the development. Bullets, who are coached by former Dynamos mentor Callisto Pasuwa, are now looking for a replacement so that the tournament goes ahead as planned in March.

“We have engaged teams from other countries and we are making progress. You will be advised soonest as discussions are underway,” he told The Malawi Nation.

The People’s Team introduced the international mini tournament four years ago and the last edition was held in 2020.

The tournament attracted the hosts, Wanderers, Zimbabwe’s Chicken Inn and UD Songo.

Chicken Inn won the inaugural tournament after beating Bullets, Wanderers and UD Songo to finish top of the table with nine points. The tournament was not held in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.